While Buddhist practitioners pursue the religious truth of the Buddha’s teachings, the saṃgha, the monastic community, inevitably engages in various activities necessary for its existence and maintenance. The Vinaya, the monastic law code, is a collection of teachings about the monastic rules and regulations considered to be the foundation of Buddhist monastic communities for their unity and communal living. Among the ancient Buddhist schools, the Mūlasarvāstivāda, which flourished in many parts of India, especially North India, was one of the most influential schools of Indian Buddhism. Despite the importance of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, large parts of this Buddhist monastic law code remain relatively unexplored, partly due to limited access to the original Sanskrit materials as well as its availability in three different classical Buddhist languages, posing challenges regarding its translations and transmission.
Lee investigates the Māṇavikā chapter of the Uttaragrantha in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya by exploring its relationship with all available materials in Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese, underscoring the potential multiplicity in the Mūlsarvāstivāda Vinaya traditions and thereby demonstrating the complex textual history regarding its translations and transmission. Importantly, her thesis not only makes, for the first time, the preserved Sanskrit text of the Māṇavikā chapter available with newly identified Sanskrit fragments accompanied by their digitally reconstructed images, but it also provides a first translation of the Māṇavikā chapter with annotations and references. This translation is primarily based on its complete Tibetan version but with a close comparison with other extant materials in Sanskrit and Chinese.
Trial lecture
Evaluation committee
- Professor Ute Hüsken, Universität Heidelberg (first opponent)
- Professor emeritus Per Kværne, University of Oslo (second opponent)
- Professor Vladimir Tikhonov, University of Oslo (committee administrator)
Chair of the defence
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Professor Jacob Høigilt, University of Oslo